Shai Moshe Piron ( he, שי משה פירון, born 25 January 1965) is an Israeli

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

rabbi, educator, and politician. A

religious Zionist Religious Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת דָּתִית, translit. ''Tziyonut Datit'') is an ideology that combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' ( "National Religious"), and in Israel, the ...

,All the kingmaker’s men, and women
Times of Israel, 23 January 2013 he served as a member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

for

Yesh Atid Yesh Atid ( he, יֵשׁ עָתִיד, , There Is a Future) is a liberal political party in Israel. Founded by Yair Lapid in 2012, it seeks to represent what it considers the centre of Israeli society: the secular middle class. It focuses pr ...

between 2013 and 2015, and as Minister of Education between 2013 and 2014.

Biography

Born in

Kfar Vitkin Kfar Vitkin ( he, כְּפַר וִיתְקִין, ''lit.'' Vitkin Village) is a moshav in central Israel. Located near Netanya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council and was the first Jewish settlement in the valley. ...

, Piron was ordained as a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, and co-headed the

hesder Hesder ( he, הסדר "arrangement"; also Yeshivat Hesder ) is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework. The program all ...

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are st ...

in Petah Tikva. Piron is the CEO of "Hakol L'Chinuch", which works to improve state education. He helped found Tzohar, and runs numerous projects to foster harmony between religious and secular Israelis. In 2012, he joined the newly formed

party, and was placed second in its list for the 2013 Knesset elections. With the party winning 19 seats, he became a member of the

. Yesh Atid joined the coalition, and Piron was appointed as Minister of Education replacing Gideon Sa’ar. In March 2015, Piron called for Israel to have all schools include the "

Nakba Clickable map of Mandatory Palestine with the depopulated locations during the 1947–1949 Palestine war. The Nakba ( ar, النكبة, translit=an-Nakbah, lit=the "disaster", "catastrophe", or "cataclysm"), also known as the Palestinian Ca ...

" in their curriculum: "I'm for teaching the Nakba to all students in Israel. I do not think that a student can go through the Israeli educational system, while 20% of students have an ethos, a story, and he does not know that story." He added that covering the topic in schools could address some of the racial tensions that exist in Israeli society. Piron's comments broke a taboo in the traditional Israeli narrative, and conflicts with efforts on the part of some Israeli lawmakers to defund schools that mark the "Nakba". He was placed second on the party's list again for the 2015 elections, and was re-elected as the party won 11 seats. Following the elections, he was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. In September 2015, Piron resigned from the Knesset, and will instead teach at a college in

Sderot Sderot ( he, שְׂדֵרוֹת, , lit. ''Boulevards'', ar, سديروت) is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District of Israel. In it had a population of . Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza (the ...

.Two opposition lawmakers call it quits
Times of Israel, 2 September 2015 He was replaced by

Elazar Stern Elazar Stern ( he, אֶלְעָזָר שְׁטֵרְן) is an Israeli politician and military general. He was a major general (res.) in the Israel Defense Forces, serving as Head of the Manpower Directorate, commander of the IDF Officers Trainin ...

, twelfth on the Yesh Atid list. Piron lives in Oranit, is married, and has six children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Piron, Shai 1965 births Living people 20th-century Israeli educators 21st-century Israeli educators Israeli settlers Members of the 19th Knesset (2013–2015) Members of the 20th Knesset (2015–2019) Ministers of Education of Israel Moshavniks People from Kfar Vitkin Israeli Orthodox Jews Religious Zionist Orthodox rabbis Yesh Atid politicians Ono Academic College faculty Israeli people of Egyptian-Jewish descent Israeli people of Romanian-Jewish descent